Vocabulary Building: H and I Words

Posted on Feb 7, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Essential H Words and Their Meanings

  • Habituate: To train; to accustom to a situation.
  • Halcyon: Peaceful; carefree; serene.
  • Harass: To attack repeatedly; to torment or pester.
  • Harbinger: A precursor; an indication; an omen.
  • Harp: To repeat tediously; to go on and on about something.
  • Harry: To harass; to annoy.
  • Heinous: Shockingly evil; abominable; atrocious.
  • Herald: A royal proclaimer; a harbinger.
  • Hoary: Gray or white with age; ancient; stale.
  • Homage: Reverence; respect.
  • Hubris: Arrogance; excessive pride.
  • Hypocrisy: Insincerity; two-facedness.

Essential I Words and Their Meanings

  • Idiom: An expression whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the words; a language or dialect used by a group of people.
  • Imbue: To inspire; to permeate or tinge.
  • Impasse: A deadlock; a situation from which there is no escape.
  • Impeach: To accuse or indict; to challenge; call into question.
  • Impecunious: Without money; penniless.
  • Impede: To obstruct or interfere with; to delay.
  • Impending: Approaching; imminent; looming.
  • Impenetrable: Incapable of being penetrated; impervious; incomprehensible.
  • Imperative: Completely necessary; vitally important.
  • Impetuous: Rash; over-impulsive; headlong.
  • Implication: Something implied or suggested; ramification.
  • Importune: To urge with annoying persistence; to trouble.
  • Impoverish: To reduce to poverty; to make destitute.
  • Impregnable: Unconquerable; able to withstand attack; impenetrable.
  • Impresario: A person who manages public entertainments (especially operas, but other events as well).
  • Impromptu: Done without preparation, on the spur of the moment.
  • Improvise: To perform without preparation; to make do with whatever materials are available.
  • Impunity: Freedom from punishment or harm.
  • Inadvertent: Unintentional; heedless; not planned.
  • Inalienable: Sacred; incapable of being transferred, lost, or taken away.
  • Incarnation: Embodiment.
  • Incendiary: Used for setting property on fire; tending to arouse passion or anger; inflammatory.
  • Inclination: Tendency; preference; liking.
  • Inculcate: To instill or implant by repeated suggestions or admonitions.
  • Incumbent: Currently holding an office; obligatory.
  • Incursion: A hostile invasion; a raid.
  • Indict: To charge with a crime; to accuse of wrongdoing.
  • Indifferent: Having no feeling about a matter; not really caring; unbiased.
  • Induce: To persuade; to influence; to cause.
  • Ineluctable: Inescapable; incapable of being resisted or avoided.
  • Ineradicable: Incapable of being removed, destroyed or eradicated.
  • Inflammatory: Fiery; tending to arouse passion or anger; incendiary.
  • Influx: Inflow; arrival of large numbers of people or things; inundation.
  • Infraction: Violation; infringement; the breaking of a law.
  • Infrastructure: The basic framework of a system; foundation.
  • Infringe: To violate; to encroach or trespass.
  • Infuse: To introduce into; to instill; to imbue.
  • Ingratiate: To work to make yourself liked.
  • Inimical: Unfavorable; harmful; detrimental; hostile.
  • Inimitable: Impossible to imitate; incomparable; matchless; the best.
  • Innuendo: An insinuation; a sly hint.

Other Words

  • Thimble: Small protective cap that protects a fingertip.
  • Treachery: Betrayal of trust.
  • Troupe: A company of actors, singers, or dancers.
  • Virtuous: Honest; moral; ethical.
  • Blueprint: The plan of a building; a detailed plan.
  • Jovial: Happy; in good spirits; jolly.
  • Vestige: The remains of something that no longer exists. (Corrected repetition and definition)